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“the troops were composed of peasant serfs and poor burghers who were forcibly compelled to enlist. Recruiting frequently degenerated into sheer manhunts which led to bloody clashes. The whole system of military training was of a piece with these acts of cruelty and violence. ‘A soldier should fear his officer more than his enemy.’ Such was the principle laid down by Frederick II.” — Mark Borisovich Mitin
the troops were composed of peasant serfs and poor burghers who were forcibly compelled to enlist. Recruiting frequently degenerated into sheer manhunts which led to bloody clashes. The whole system of military training was of a piece with these acts of cruelty and violence. ‘A soldier should fear his officer more than his enemy.’ Such was the principle laid down by Frederick II.